I Am Divergent
by JessicaK7
Summary: One choice has been known to change people, or so Melina Grace has heard. But she never would have guessed that the change would be so explosive. However, when this one choice does change her, will she stop what her Divergence can do to hurt others, and everything she loves?
1. Melina's Test

_**Melina's Test**_

I woke up to the hazy blue light of the morning. I roll over, covering myself snugly in my sheets, attempting to shut out the morning. Even though my head pounds, begging for more sleep, I open my eyes.

Blue. I've come to get used to the color being everywhere. The carpets, the curtains, my alarm clock. I had blue glasses, which I actually needed, but only wore so that I would not have to wear blue bracelets or something...

"Melina, mom wants you." I hear the door fling open. It's my sister. I blink my eyes open to see that she is staring at me. I put on my blue glasses and blink.

"Why...?" I moan, "It's Saturday..." I cover my shoulders in the blankets.

"She wants you, Melina!" Helen sighs exasperatingly as she sits on her bed, across from me.

I groan and sit up, my light brown hair haywire. I smooth it out as much as possible. I feel nauseous, as I always do when I wake up.

I get up after I am somewhat aware of my surroundings. My sister is straightening her hair, a practice I never needed to do. Her rich brown hair is shiny and smooth almost all the time, and they complement her tan eye color and skin.

"What?" She asks, and I realize I am staring.

"Nothing." I turn to my mirror. "You are just pretty." I say.

She grins a little at this, then goes back to her vigorous straightening.

I look at myself in the mirror. My skin is incredibly pale, while my eyes hold two different colors: blue and white. The left one is completely white...a birth defect which caused scar tissue to overwhelm the eye, left the eye useless, blind. The Erudite doctors wanted to take it out, but my father refused.

My other eye, however, is completely normal. Blue, sometimes grey.

I brush my hair harshly, ripping out the knots and wincing. I look into my closet. Every top is blue. Some button up, some polo. I choose a lacy blue blouse, with a white tank top underneath, and some light jeans.

I step cautiously down the white marble steps. Due to my single eye-ness, I cannot detect depth in anything. So stairs are tricky.

However, I have navigated these stairs since childhood, so I can do them somewhat easily.

But I have fallen before.

"Melina, we have some chores to do today. This afternoon is the aptitude test, I know, but I want you to finish some things before we get all caught up in that." My mom says in a flurry as I sit next to her in our, yes blue, couch. Her hair is curly and done up in all assortments of hairsprays. Her eyes are blue and striking, unlike mine, and her makeup is perfectly placed, not too much, and not too little.

"Okay." I say, blinking, "What things?"

"Just some dusting. And then I want you to put away your laundry." She stands, "And please, clean up your side of the room before you leave." She adds before I hug her.

"Love you." I say, ignoring the topic, "Are you going to the school today?" I ask her.

"Yes. We have to clean up. I will probably be there when you get your test done." She says, the stern voice gone. She leaned back and looked at me in my eyes.

"What did you get, mom? When you did it?" I ask her. Her eyes went down for a moment.

"We aren't allowed to tell anyone." She shakes her head, her curls bouncing.

"Now, I have to go. Remember your chores." She says as she walks to the door, "I love you." She says.

"I love you too."

She shuts the door.

I sit in the classroom, looking at the other students. I am waiting for my aptitude test, and am indeed nervous. So, to pass the time, I observe the others. Some are Erudite, like me, but others are from other factions. There are some Amity huddling over a book, some of them are making bracelets.

I stare at them. They look so happy. No one judges their happiness or their kindness, they just accept it. It must be nice.

Some are Candor, who are huddled in groups as well. The boys are talking loudly, while playing some sort of a game that involves a bottle. The girls are chatting miles a minute, and I notice a couple of stragglers. I look at one girl, dark skinned, who is holding a large book.

The title reads, "Eragon".

She looks up at me, and I look away. That was close. She almost saw me staring at her.

My focus shifts to a group who just came in. The Dauntless, who have made this room now impossible to read in. I look over at the Candor girl, who shuts her book in frustration.

"Can they be any louder?" Helen says as she sits down next to me, her brown hair up in a ponytail now.

"Probably. I mean, they are Dauntless. Loud is their word." I shrug.

Some silence follows.

"Are you nervous?" I ask her.

"Yeah, I guess." She tilts her head.

"Well...we can't fail it." I say.

More silence. I am still as nervous as ever.

I really...don't know myself. I'd love to think that I could qualify for Dauntless, but if there is one thing that Erudite has taught me, it is how to be a realist.

Candor isn't an option. Yes...I'm generally an honest person. I can't keep a secret about someone for long.

But to be that overt about everything...it's just not me.

Amity. I love peace. I think everyone does.

I see Helen laugh hard when an Abnegation boy turns red at a remark from a Dauntless.

Perhaps not everyone...

But I like peace. I would love to be surrounded by people who are kind, and act well to kind people.

It would be so nice.

I glance at the Amity again. One is braiding another's long hair. They are still mulling over that book, turning back and forth in the pages and pointing at the text every so often.

But then...I see a Dauntless boy come over to the girl holding the book.

With a quick swipe of his arm, he knocks the book out of the girl's hand.

My eyes grow wide. What a jerk! I scan the faces of the Amity. Some are downcast, some are shocked.

But none are reacting.

I blink. Doormats, all of them.

Pushovers, just like me.

I sit in the chair, leaned back. The woman that was giving me the test was an Abnegation.

"How is life there?" I ask, "I have read about it before. I hear it is quaint." I say.

"Quaint would be a nice word." She says, "It is a life of service. People I know love to serve others." She says, quieting on the word 'I'.

"Do you love to serve others?" I ask.

She pauses, holding the cup in her narrow fingers. Her blue eyes skit the ground as I take note of her poised brown bun, topped neatly upon her head.

"It is a well enough life, ma'm. I'd like to think that the day that I leave this earth...I will be satisfied with my service, and will be able to leave with true peace." She hands the cup to me.

"I hope the test will tell me what I need to know..." I say, then I drink.

"Or what you do not want to know." The woman says. I blink. Did she say that?

But my world fades to black before I can contemplate further.

I'm in a hallway. It is grey, and has lights down it sparingly.

Not knowing what else to do, I walk. The place is so silent, that I hear my own steps clearly.

For awhile, I walk with no thought. But then, I grow frustrated with the seemingly unending hallway.

Then I see a door to my left. It is closed. I hold the knob and turn, but it is locked firmly. There is another door, and another.

But they are all locked.

I begin to jog, straining my eye to see the end of the hallway, but there isn't one. I run until I'm out of breath.

I turn around to see if there is an end behind me, but there is nothing. I try all the doors twice. Nothing different.

I step backward, and hear a clang of metal.

I look down, to see multiple items.

A gun, a bike, and a key.

"Choose which one to progress with." A note says next to the items.

A gun? Guns could be helpful in anything. I could shoot at the door until it breaks.

But I don't know how many bullets I have.

The bike? That suggests that this hallway is long, which instantly makes me want to select another option. Maybe that option is only there to tell me that the hallway is either extremely long, or endless.

But all the items must have equal value.

The key? It's obviously opens a door. Maybe only one of them. I realize with a groan that there are hundreds of doors, and that this key might only open one of them.

I run a hand through my hair. The decision seemed equally balanced. Every item could be either very helpful, or very useless.

I bent down.

And I picked up the key.

Instantly, I regretted my decision.

I heard pounding footsteps echo through the hallway. The grey place suddenly became very horrifying. I spun around. A man was sprinting towards me, full on.

I turned back to the items, but they were gone.

With nothing else to do, I shoved the key into the nearest door and turned. The door flew open.

I slammed it behind me.

The room was useless.

It was grey too, but with a tattered carpet spread across the floor. There was a window, but nothing but pale light shone in.

A girl sat, huddled in a corner. Her grey dress was tattered, her blonde hair, messy.

"They are coming...they are..." She mumbled.

I heard someone slam at the door. I jumped.

"Who is coming?" I bent down to the girl. "Do they hurt you?" I quickly asked.

Another bang at the door.

"Will they hurt me?" My voice shook. She was shaking. She wasn't going to help me at all.

I stood. There was a chair in the other corner. I ran over and wedged it under the door knob, making it harder for the man to come in.

"You need to stand." I say to the girl as I grab her arm and pull up. She is limp, but light. I resort to holding her.

There is a closet that is next to where she was sitting.

I try to open it, but it is locked. I use my key.

It opens.

Inside there is a note.

"Choose again."

A gun, a large hammer, and a tazer.

Again with the gun. Why twice?

A hammer. I glance over at the window.

And a tazer. The door is slammed again as I hear the chair break. The girl shudders.

I heft the hammer up with both arms as I sit the girl down.

I walk over to the window. I have never broken glass before, but this hammer should.

I swing back, and then forward...

And the impact shatters the window to pieces.

The door bursts open. I have no time left.

I scream as I attempt to slow the man down by throwing the hammer at him. It hits his chest, he falls backward.

I yank the girl over my shoulder as I climb to the window edge.

Nothing but darkness. I gasp.

The man begins to get up.

The girl clutches my shoulder, shaking her head and moaning something I can't understand. The man pulls out a knife.

I shudder. I can't let her die like this.

I look in the dark void, my mind screaming to take the man on, and abandon the girl.

I close my eyes and jump into darkness.

(AN: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed that first chapter! My publishing rate should be fairly decent, so please consider keeping up with this! Please, PLEASE give me your input in the comments! I would love to hear how I did, even if I did terrible. So, I believe that's about it! The second chapter is coming soon:

Melina's Choice

"What were Melina's test results? Melina gets a clear answer...but it is not what she was expecting.

Melina now must make a choice...will she choose the faction she wants, or the faction she needs?")


	2. Melina's Choice

I stood in the shower, letting my body be steamed by the burning hot water. I felt like, if I stood here long enough, all my confusion and fear could wash away down the drain.

But I know it can't.

"All of them..." I mumble, "I was all of them..." I don't even put shampoo in my hair, just let the hot water drench me.

"Divergent..." I breathe the word.

I get out and dry off quickly, pulling on my blue pajamas.

The Abnegation woman told me I was...all of the factions. She even gave me percentages. Funny, she knew I would want them...because I am everything, including Erudite.

I go back into my room, and shove the flash drive I brought with me to the school into my laptop.

The Word document she downloaded to the file was still there.

"Abnegation= 52%

Amity= 37%

Erudite=11%

Candor=5%

Dauntless=3%"

Normally...one faction holds a hundred percent status. The computer is glitchy, because having every faction hold a percentage is never done.

I type a word below the text, in big red letters. I'm not supposed to say it, but my fingers run across the keys.

"DIVERGENT."

A pitiful three percent of me was brave. I did the analysis.

I refused the gun. Twice. Twice, because I was afraid to kill the man, even though he would have tortured me. (I read up the simulation manual.)

I didn't even pick the tazer, which would have lowered Abnegation stats and raised Amity and Dauntless stats, but I chose the hammer, which did nothing but lower my Dauntless status and raise my Abnegation. (The hammer gives an opportunity to save the traumatized girl.)

Three percent.

However, if I picked the bike, that would have cut my Dauntless status deep and raise my Erudite for seeing the riddle.

So, I wasn't a complete coward.

But I was still a coward.

I expected Candor to be my poorest faction, but it wasn't. It turns out, the simulation reads my thoughts too. Therefore, if I did whatever I thought, then I was being truthful to myself.

Most of the time I wasn't. I wanted to abandon the insane girl, I wanted to pick the gun up and shoot the horrid man in the torso.

I didn't. And that's why Abnegation and Amity took the cake.

The door begins to creak open, and I shut my laptop closed.

"What was that?" Helen asks.

"Just some research. Faction percentages. It's still in progress." And that is why I am not in Candor. I chastised myself for typing Divergent in huge red letters.

"Can I see?" Helen leans over. Now I know she just wants to catch me red handed. She never takes interest in my research.

As I open the laptop, I slip my hand under it, and click the battery out.

The screen glitches black.

"What the heck...?!" I feign shock. I put the battery back in, but the computer must be turned back on to reboot. I shake my head and slam the laptop closed.

"Wow, your computer sucks." Helen gets up and sits on her bed, turning on her laptop.

Despite everything, I am exhausted. I roll to my side and fall asleep, without even using my sheets.

The next day I wake up with one single thought.

"Three percent."

It torments me that I was such a coward. Why couldn't I have just grabbed the gun? It isn't hard. I knew it was fake.

But it looked so real. What if something like that was real one day? What if...that window was over a two story drop?

I would die. Die because I'm such a coward.

I think of the Amity. How beautiful it was to live in harmony like that.

I think of the Abnegation. How satisfying the service to others is. The metaphor that woman used...that her service made her life worth while in the end.

But the Amity and that Dauntless. They were like lambs with a wolf, defenseless, silent.

Cowards.

And the Abnegation. The Dauntless made fun of that boy, who walked away, embarrassed, unable to defend himself.

Silent.

And the Candor and Erudite laughed.

And they will keep laughing at him.

...And I will be just another joke for them to laugh at.

I get up.

"Woah." Helen looks at me accusingly, "Okay, you need to get your stuff off my section here!" She motions to her desk, next to mine.

"It isn't on your desk." I motion to the book. It is on my desk, and a little on hers.

"Yeah, it is!" She picks the book up and pushes it over further on my desk.

"Technicalities..." I roll my eyes.

"Did you say something?" She snaps, "If you are going to say something, say it so I can hear!" She glares at me.

A surge of anger goes through me.

I will not be a joke.

"Read my lips, then!" I step to her. I notice I am taller than her. It never felt that way, "The. Book. Is. Fine." I say.

"That was rude." She shakes her head as she looks at me with distain.

"You're rude." I turn to the door, grabbing my laptop.

"Excuse me?!" She stands, her brown eyes flaring, "Just go to that hippie faction already! Gosh!" She grabs her laptop and slams it into its case.

"I'm not going there." I growl.

"Then where are you going?" She demands.

"Take a wild guess."

And I slam the door behind me.

I am walking to the school, where we will choose our new faction. Just like every Choosing Day, our family walks together.

Our maid, Linda, walks with us too. She is wearing her blue scrubs. We pay her to keep the house in check, even though I still end up with chores. She is a nice, tan, older Erudite, and helps clean the labs sometimes in the school.

"Oh sweetie, you look nice today." She says, winking. I see that there is a small mirror in her hand. I remember, she said she transferred from Abnegation to Erudite, and has carried the pocket mirror around ever since.

I look at myself. My hair straight and wispy around my shoulders. I stare and meet two different eyes. White and blue. One can see, one cannot.

"Oh, it looks fine." She snaps the mirror shut and looks at my eye. I can always tell when people look at it, because there is a slight tilt in their head that I have come to notice.

"It was scar tissue." I explain, "Too much of it. The eye ended up rupturing." I say.

"Oh, that is unfortunate." We finally make it to the auditorium and sit. My mom and dad sit next to eachother, and my sister sits next to them. Linda and I sit on the end of the row next to Helen.

"You know...the technology back then was caves and torches..." She says as she runs a finger along the edge of my eyelid, taking a closer look, "Doctors now, they probably could fix this. It wouldn't be perfect but..." She trails off.

"But?" I ask eagerly, placing a hand on hers and bringing it down to her lap.

"Oh...you, would have to stay in Erudite to see, dear." She says, and then leans her head back.

I feel a pit in my stomach.

"The future belongs to those who know who they are..." Jeanine begins. I have seen this woman all over the news. In almost every specialized demonstration, and in nearly every newspaper.

"But we all must make a decision. A decision that defines us. The Great War divided us, but now we stand together." She closes her eyes and clasps her hands together,

"And in standing together, we stand apart. We stand in factions. All have a purpose, all have a place, and all have a faction."

I wish I did.

"Faction before blood." She says as she opens her eyes.

"Faction before blood." We all repeat.

"Helen Grace." The man calls. My sister stands, kisses my mother, then my father, and walks down the steps quickly.

I do not really know what she will do. What was her aptitude? I never got to ask.

She could fit in in Dauntless, or Candor, or even Erudite.

She picks up the knife and slits her finger. Blood oozes out.

She blinks, looking at the bowls one by one.

The drop of blood falls onto the glass.

"Candor." The man says. People clap.

"What?" My mom's eyes go wide. I want to hug her...

But what would that do? Nothing...only prolong her suffering once I choose.

I look over at the Amity.

"Melina Grace." The man calls out my name. I stand and hug my mom tightly for what it's worth.

I hug my dad's neck.

"I love you dad." I say, pouring every ounce of love I have into the four small words.

"I love you too, baby." He says.

And then he lets his last daughter go.

Peacefully. Silently.

Just like me, and everything I try to do.

I step down the stairs, slowly. There is no rail, so I take every step cautiously.

I make it to the bowls. There are five, all standing for the factions. I glance at the bowl with the grey rocks.

The life I could live. The life of servitude and satisfaction.

I look at the Amity bowl.

The life I could live. The life of peace and harmony.

I prick my finger as the dark red blood dribbles out on my fingertip.

All the other factions don't matter.

I have made my decision.

I turn my finger over, and watch the blood trickle.

I don't smile. I don't grin. I don't accept the claps when they come.

The blood burns on the burning hot coals of the Dauntless.

(AN: Third chapter! Huzzah!

Now, one thing that not many people know, is that this character, Melina, is based off of me. It's almost exactly me, aside from the name.

So yes, that white eye, and half blindness is real. Stairs are tricky. :P

However, just to clarify, the characters such as Helen and Jena and Mathias, are only the equivalent of my family up to a certain point. Then they change according to what the story needs. So some things in the dialogue is real, but not much.

I believe I have said too much...so let's go on to the sneak peak of the next chapter:

I Am Dauntless.

"Melina has chosen a faction where she does not belong. Her choice is honorable, but her chances are slim...

How can she survive in a world that is not meant for her?

Get ready for the explosive next chapter as Melina faces the first stage of initiation!")


	3. I Am Dauntless

I sit in the front row with other initiates. Even though it pains me, I look back at my parents.

It does more than just pain me.

My mom is crying, but blinking the tears away like she always does. Of all people, surely she would think that I would have gone to Abnegation.

I tear up as I realize it will only be a matter of time before they find my computer. Before they realized that I did research.

Before I realize that we never even talked about it.

...We just all assumed I would be selfless.

My dad looks straight at me. And I take off my glasses and mouth, "My computer."

His eyes narrow, and he looks to mom then back to me.

"Just you." I mouth.

He nods, and closes his eyes.

We think the same way.

So maybe I won't seem like such a heartless jerk in his eyes.

"Vivian Grey." The man calls. The girl from before, the girl that read Eragon, walked down the steps after saying goodbye to her family.

She slit her finger and let the blood flow into the live coals.

Dauntless.

Goodbye. That's usually what it was.

It wasn't that way to my mother, to her, it was "See you later." but never goodbye...never goodbye...

Tears swell up again. She will be broken hearted. Maybe she expected Helen to leave, but not me. Usually, when Helen did not excel in the empathy department, it became my job.

And I just screwed over that job. That job I've assumed for years.

And now I've torn my family apart. I blink my tears in, not letting them fall. Not here. Not in front of the Dauntless.

The girl that just picked her faction, Vivian, sits beside me.

"Hey." She says. I look over. Her eyes are almost black, and her hair is black too. Her skin is dark, tan.

"Hi." I say. I'm not sure what to say. What can I say? "Oh, you crushed your family's hearts too? Twins!"

"I'm sorry. About your sister." Vivian says.

"Oh. Uh, she...I knew she was going to really." I say. I feel terrible. How could I just pass over her absence just like that?

"Well, she might like Candor. I did...but Dauntless fit me better."

I almost chuckled. She was here because she fit in here. I knew I didn't fit in here, and that's exactly why I came: to improve myself. To make that three percent something higher.

"You will probably think I am crazy, but I don't have aptitude for here." I say with an exhale. She gives me a double take.

"Why...are you here, then?" She asks, as she turns to me more. I can see that she now notices my eye, now that she has had a good look at me.

"It's a long story." The Dauntless clap and yell. I stand with them.

"If I survive this, I'll tell it to you." I say.

And then I run.

Vivian, even though probably curious of me now, bolts ahead quickly. I run to catch up, but she is faster.

I sprint to catch up.

The Dauntless scream and yell as they run.

And I end up screaming too.

And I smile, forgetting my worries, for just a moment.

But only for a moment. I am quickly falling behind. There is a select few falling behind with me. An Amity, another Erudite, a Candor.

"No!" I think, "I can't be at the bottom!" I silently yell to myself. No more three percent.

Something will change.

I close my eyes and burst forward, and even though the effect isn't great, I am ahead of the stragglers.

But then, to my disappointment, I see a train.

And I see three girls jump on.

I quickly make a beeline to the train, not bothering to run beside it, but to get as near as it as possible, then catch up.

To my horror, there are only three carts left for me to jump on by the time I get there.

The first cart. I place my hands on the floor boards and lean...

Stupid. The vertigo of the train is a lurching forward motion, and I fall, barely avoiding the tracks.

Shrieking, I roll to my right. I get up.

The train is ahead of me. I sprint.

Cart two. I run to the very front of it. I try jumping with both feet, placing a hand on the side...

I fall. That's mistake two. I hit my elbow hard, but try to ignore it as I run.

"Gosh! Tanner, you JERK!"I hear a girl shriek, then moan. She fell off. Her ankle is twisted in a painful angle. Amity. Or at least she used to be.

Dadgumnit.

I bend down and grab her. She is light.

"Come on! Use your good leg!" I struggle under her weight, even though she is light, carrying someone is, like all people say, a burden.

Growling in exasperation, I carry her full on.

The train is way too ahead now. She is crying. I run.

The last cart. I throw the girl in, she curses as she hits the hard wood.

"Help me...you...!" I say reaching my arms out, breathless, my legs aching. She grips on and yanks. I go on knee first, and I make it.

The last cart, and I make it.

I am laying down on the cart on my back. Gosh, I hurt. My legs ache for the first time in...a long time. I don't ever remember trying to run that fast.

"How is your ankle?" I ask as I sit up. The girl, my age, but small, has red curly hair and green eyes. Freckles dot her face, and all over the bridge of her narrow nose.

"It hurts...I think it needs to be popped back." She says as she scoots over to the edge of the cart. Out feet dangle over the edge once I join her.

We are alone, on the last cart, basically abandoned. Everyone probably thinks that we didn't make it.

I look back, and see that many didn't make it.

I barely did.

"Give me your ankle." I say.

"Wh-what? I don't even know your name and you think I'm going to let you fix my ankle?" She winces.

"Look, I was raised in Erudite. They taught me things. Like, how popping a bone back in place isn't that hard. Or painful." I add.

She looks at me for a moment, and then she nods.

I gingerly roll back her sock, and see that it is bruised. I place a hand around the thin ankle, and my other the same way.

I lied to her.

I squeeze hard.

It is painful, and I really didn't know what I was doing. But she couldn't be limping around, not here.

She shrieks.

"What...the...HECK?!" She frantically scoots away, gritting her teeth. "You..! You-you!" She points at me, then calms down.

The pain must have stopped like I knew it would. I smirked.

"I fixed it." I shrug.

"What is your name?" She asks, twirling her curly hair around her finger.

"Melina. Melina Grace." I say, "Yours?" I ask.

"Kay...Limton." She firmly places her hands on the wood as our feet dangle over the speedily moving track.

"I didn't like Amity. It was a bunch of lies. Hypocrites." She says before I ask.

"Really?" I inquire. Maybe I was wrong about my idols.

"Yeah? Why did you leave the smartest faction? Too dumb or something?" She asks, then laughs.

"Uh...no." I train my eyes on the tracks, "I'm not brave. So I came here to become brave." I say simply.

"What? Are you freaking serious?" Kay stares at me like I am insane. "You are insane." She shakes her head.

"At least I'm not flirting with some 'Tanner' right out of the gate, Kay." I raise my eyebrows.

She opens her mouth to respond, but then shuts it quickly.

I realize that I was right.

I look ahead once I hear hollers. Some are jumping off of the train.

And onto a roof.

"What?!" Kay gawks at the Dauntless jumping.

My eyes widen.

It really is a roof.

I squint at the Dauntless. It doesn't look like a hard jump at all. The roof is close to the train, yet Kay is freaking out.

"Would you please calm down a little?" I ask.

"How?! We are jumping onto a roof! That is like fifty feet away! I will freak out!" She tells me.

"It's not fifty feet." I scoff.

"Yes! Yes it is! Look Cyborg, I don't know if that thing-" She points to my eye- "is a problem, but it is a huge jump!" She spits at me as she grips the wall hard.

Something like a wave of heat vibrates through me. It feels...it feels good. I grit my teeth, already feeling my arm lift to hit her-

Stop!

What was that? I let my arm drop. I was about to punch her. She would have fallen.

She would have died.

I shake my head and look at the roof swiftly approaching.

"Are you jumping?" I demand, my teeth gritted.

"I-I...don't know...I..." She stutters.

And then she looks at me.

But I can't help her. I shake my head.

I take my blue, Erudite, glasses off. I look at them for one last time.

Kay looks at me with pleading, wide eyes.

Then I press the glasses against her chest, as her tiny, shaking hands wrap around them.

I take steps back to the back of the cart, and I run.

I close my eyes and feel the wind blowing against me...

Pain!

Rock digs into my knees, and I yelp as I stop myself with my hands. I fall to my side and look at my knees. Gashed. I place a palm on each and dust the rocks off.

I'll live.

I look over at the train.

Kay is sitting, her legs dangling over the edge.

She has my glasses on, but they are fogged up, her head is hung low, and her red hair blowing in the wind.

Then she is just gone.

I see Vivian, and I tap her shoulder.

"Now, about that story..." I say. Her dark eyes widen.

"I thought you were gone..." She breathes.

"Disappointed?" I smile.

"N-no! Just...surprised. No offense." She says.

"You're okay." I say.

"Wait. There was a girl with you, the redhead. What happened to her?" Vivian asks quickly.

"I helped her on the train, but she didn't make it." I say.

"Dead?" Vivian says after some silence.

"No. Just factionless." And I do what I haven't done in a long time: show spite, the heat of her remark still fresh on my mind,

"And I gave her my glasses. She will need them."

(AN: Hey! Chapter three YEA! I hope you guys liked the train scene, I tried to make it as realistic as possible. I don't have much to say aside from a huge thank you to my viewers and the people that have reviewed and rated for "I Am Divergnt"! Thank you so much!

But next time:

A Sparking Arrival

"Melina has survived the first part of the entrance initiation for Dauntless, but is horrified to discover a weakness, just steps away from her new home...

A jump down to the Pit.

With her one eye blind, Melina cannot see depth, making it all the more strenuous to fall!

However, little does she know, that she meets two individuals, that might just changer her life forever.

...Or ruin it.")


	4. A Sparking Arrival

I stood over the pit. I squinted and tried to judge how deep it was.

But it was impossible to tell. I couldn't see anything beyond flatness.

I kept looking, and others kept jumping into the darkness. One by one they jumped, and each time, I tried hard to see depth.

Nothing. Just the frustrated vision I have always had.

I close my eyes and shake my head.

I couldn't judge it.

So I would just have to not judge...

Not judge and be free.

I took one last look down the seemingly endless hole in the ground. There were four of us left: And Abnegation boy, an Amity girl, a Candor girl, and an Erudite boy.

The question was evident now.

"Who would be last?"

Which really just meant...

"Who is going to become factionless today?"

Not me.

"My turn." I said. But I wasn't the only one who said it.

I looked over to see green eyes and auburn hair. The Abnegation boy had said it at the same time as me.

I looked into his eyes. Waiting to see the familiar downcast stance of the selfless act: to let me go first.

But he only steps up and jumps, without anyone's consent.

I smirk. Good job.

I step up and look down one more time, and try to determine the depth.

I shake my head. No more judging.

Just...jumping.

I close my eyes.

And I lean forward.

The wind hits me hard. I panic. What if I hit concrete, what if-

No...I need to stop.

Thinking will only make it worse.

So...I don't.

The wind picks up, and I feel no need to scream. I just feel the speed pick up, until...

I bounce.

Once I steady, I open my eyes and see where I fell from. I can't really tell how far, but the light is shining down beautifully, cutting through the darkness like a knife.

I smile a weary smile. I'm in. I breathe slowly as I instantly feel lighter. And then I realize why.

It's because I'm not thinking myself ragged.

I take a breath and exhale.

Then the net is tugged, and my thinking is back on again.

"What's your name?" The man that pulled me down asked.

"Melina." I say.

"A little gentle isn't it?" He asks.

"Says the Amity transfer." I say, and jump down from the net. He gawks.

I walk away, not bothering to explain.

And I run right into the Abnegation boy.

"Sorry..." He says.

I turn to face him.

"Nice job up there." I say. He is one of the few boys I ever see that is actually at my eye level. Every other guy I meet is usually a foot taller than me, or can beat me in chess in under two moves.

"Thanks.." He says. His eyes are downcast.

"Hey..." I say, he looks up, "You need to quit with that...not in front of the Dauntless..." I say.

"Then what do you propose I do?" He snaps, his brows furrowed, "People don't adjust in a day, and by the looks of it...neither do you, Erudite." He says, turning.

"Look, just leave me alone for awhile." He says, waving a dismissive hand. He must be irritated with his own anger.

Just like I was surprised with my own at Kay.

"Initiates!" Says a different trainer, Feren. "There are two levels to the training here! Physical, and mental! Fail either one of these, and you know what happens." He said. Parts of his hair are dyed green, although the original color is black.

"These tests will either end at perfection, or when we have nothing else to throw at you." He paces. I am in the back with Vivian, but I feel like he is staring straight at me.

"Whichever one comes last." He says.

"Quite the ball of sunshine isn't he?" Vivian jokes. I place a hand to my mouth and silence my laugh.

"He is...sprightly. But can he hit the broad side of a barn, is what I want to know." I say.

"Well, he looks strong, but I bet he can't catch me." Vivian says.

"As powerful as a locomotive..." I shake my head, "And just about as subtle."

Vivian barely holds her laugh in.

"So what about that other trainer, huh?" Vivian motions to the guy who lowered me down from the net.

"What about him? He's okay." I say, and she stares at me, "Oh, gosh...you think he's hot?" I raise an eyebrow. He was good looking, but that was the thing.

He was in a great position, and he seemed too...perfect.

I wasn't. I knew that.

"Duh, I think he is hot!" Vivian says. "It's all in the eyes. I mean, look at them." She says.

We are then swept into the introductory of the rooms. The Pit, which is the main floor, seems to be carved out of black stone. It's edges are jagged and it has upper floors.

There are no rails.

Everything is co-ed, which makes me nervous. It would be different if I were an average sized girl.

But I know I'm not, and now I have to change in front of everyone? I sigh.

"Yeah. They are nice." I say absently. I almost didn't want to make a friend at this point. I didn't even know if I could fight enough to stay here...and making a friend here would only weigh me, and her down.

Plus, with my Divergence, I know I'm dangerous. The woman said that being a Divergent meant you ruin the system.

And that she knew three women her age that had mysteriously disappeared because of it.

It was like a cancer...a ticking time bomb. I was a target.

And I didn't want to be anyone near me when the Divergent status finally caught up with me.

"So about that story?" Vivian taps my shoulder.

"I'll tell you when we get somewhere more concealed." I say.

"But I will leave the time bomb out of it." I silently promise to myself.

"Initiates!" Scott calls out. "Meet up in the training area!" He says, breaking any chance I have to talk to Vivian.

Somewhat confused, everyone begins making their way to the training room.

We arrive there, and Scott is in the center of two mats.

"We will be doing first matches right now." He says simply, and the room erupts into chatter. Scott looks around, and shakes his head.

"Quiet!" He yells, and the room hushes, "The first matches are some of the most important ones, given that they give us a heads up on who is going to be dominant here." He says, "Initiation will end in seven days. That's a week. One week will tell us which ten of you...are staying here."

There are gasps and murmurs. Only ten get to stay her after the first part of the test? That's crazy.

"After that, two more parts, the fear serums and the fear landscapes, will be done. Only five can pass the fear landscapes. Only five make it." He says.

My eyes widen. Five out of twenty transfers. Or at least there were twenty. Now there is just thirteen of us.

But how am I going to do this? I can already see five people that are stronger than me, and look smarter than me, easy.

"The first contenders up are Vincent Lark and Blake Dawson!"

The two boys go up, and my eyes go down.

There is no way I'm surviving this.

(AN: Chapter four is done...whew. I had to change a lot of things from the original one I wrote back when it was called "Leap of Faith" on an app called Pocket Writers (Check it out!) but it finally got done! Thank you to those who have supported me and have come back for more!

But next time:

A New Development

"Melina fights for her life in Dauntless, but will she have enough power to overcome a Dauntless-born initiate? Meanwhile, her father finds her computer back home, and one knock on the door could change the Grace family forever!")


End file.
